Apparatus for utilizing shaped charges



July 6, 1954 J. H. CHURCH ET L K APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING SHAPED CHARGES2 vSheets-Sheet l Filed May 4, 1950 Iliff!!! l grWQ/wl'OZ/S dchseph H.Church Eregcmy T T- Keaaem'ch ggg //l v J. H. CHURCH ET AL APPARATUS FORUTILIZING SHAPED CHARGES July 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 4, 1950Patented July 6, 11954 APPARATUS FQE UTILIZING vSHAPED VCHARGES vJosephH. Church, Austin, Minn., and G'rregory al. Kessenich, Madison, Wis.

Appla'tnMy 4, 1950, Serial No. 159,914

(Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952"),

SBC. 266:)

'8 'Claims'.

The vinvention described .herein and claimed mayfbe manufacturedandi-leed by or for the AGovernment for governmental ALpurposes withoutvthe payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to an apparatus espeei-ally adaptedior use inchamber-ing and positioning shaped charges in-.proper relative positienwith respect to a target, more ,particularly a ,target submergedin a.liquid medium.

A princi-pal- Yobject yof` .our invention is to provide a simple.compact apparatus comprised of interchangeable ele-ments which may beAinfalli- 4bly assembledwith .comparative simplicity and assu-ranceofproper chambering of the shaped (2l-largesY carried thereby.

Other objects will Abecome apparent from 'the followingA descriptionwhen .considered with the appended drawings in which: v

Fig. l is a longitudinal'v sectional View through `apparatus constructedin accordance with our invention; v

Figs-2 isa 4tragment'ary elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig.. l;

Fig. 3- is Aa perspective view of a sealing element usedinV theapparatus of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a cage used' in the .apparatus of' thisinvention;

Fig. 5 vis a plan View' of one type of shaped charge adapted for usewith our apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a sectional" view taken upon' line 6 6 oflrig. 5; and,

Fig. is a plan view or" another type of shaped charge adapted forl usewith our apparams.

.Asshownin Fig. l our' apparatus is generally indicated at l and' iscomprised essentially of a base element similar intermediate members 3Q,sealing elements 43 cages 5l!" and a cap element 60'..

The .intermediate members or discs are .hollow -generally cylindricalmembers symmetric about their central axes and are provided intermediatethe upper and"lowe`rsurfac'es 3l, 32 with radially outward'extendingV'anges 33, We have shown surfaces 31,32V to be opposed flat surfaces butwe contemplate making' these ksurfaces opposed convex, concave,convex-concave, or con- Vex-flat; etc., as more clearlydisclosedrhere'inafter in connection with the charge shown in Fig'. 7^.The' members 30' are formed v'vithl axialbores 34 and are arrangedl insuperposed coaxial relationas shown.

'The adjacentpairs' ofintermediate members 33 are joined 'by thecircularv sealing elements "4B as indicated in Fig. 1'` 'influidv'sealed relation.

2 Each lsealing element 40 extends between an adjacent pair fof members350 between the adjacent lia-nges 33 thereof and'is for-med With-aplurality ofpretuberant portions -or segments YH here sho-Wn in Figs. land 3 to be of generallyrectangular configuration but which may beef any-desiredshape The protiilberancesV extend radially Vcfr-itward tosubstantially the" cylindrical surfaces 35 ci members 39. Sealing!elements 1W may `be madev of any appropriate Imetall'i'c' ornon-metallicmaterialfthat will withstandtl'ie' pressures which may' beexternally imposed thereupon through subi-ne-igencefof the apparatus in'aid medium and which may be easily attacked; by the jets emanating fromthe' shaped charge encompassed by lthe feller-nent.A

'Each adjacent pair rinemlei'siSll are rigidly interconnected by splitar cage'sprcvi'ded Witl--exnbrasure's cantor g'A in i ternal don--guration Vto the extern-alf c iigfuratien 4of 'protuberances 4i asclearly' slotvnn Fig. 1. 'The cages '5U may'. be@ cireumferenti-allytightened about' the sealing elements `Hl by any suitable mear-1saiflixed'` to inernlcners'3 by stud bolts or similar tasteners- 53'. Theexternal diameters of cages 59 are such that the OuteIf'suraces ofthef-cgeswillnot proi'ebt outwardly of thefcylindfricalsurfacecontaining the :cuter surfaces 35 o'f il-anges 33, and` gaskets 54 maypainter-.posed between the cages? 5l): and' sealing elementsk;

The hollow base yel'ern'ent 26E of desired external configuration, shownasgenerally' herrn-spherical=, is attached: to` v thev lower-most member33 `below its .flang`e`33l A'sfs'h'own, this element forms a smoothjoint with the contiguous surface 35 ofi iiange' '33 *and Ais attachedto the' member by screwslzll. Gasket Z2 assures a lluid--tigfhtjointElement VV21)' forms a chamber v-2'5; in yconjunction with thecwermostsurface' 3'2 of themember.

Cap element 63 is convenientl-yafduplic'ate'of base element 49 `andE islattached to=t'he"contlguous surfaceof member 'by screwsl toformtherewith' a :closed chamber 53.

The'apparatus is adapted tobesuspendedfrom a--cabl'e orsimilar device 6d:byzmeans ofwthe jam nutif interconnecting cap til and cable 54 l'by-anipple '65u' as' kshown in Fig. l.

Each chamber 36" defined by :adjacent surfaces of adjacent members3fland'sealing elements 4D iis a'daritei` to chamber a shaped=chargeif'o'f the type showin in' Fig; 5; The charge l-'comprises`afgene'i'ally circular' charge' formed with' a pluvr'ality` of'radially outwardly-facing cav-ities 'il arrangedi symmetrically abbut'-the" central .axis of? the vch'arige tb gire a* plurality of' shapedcharge effects simultaneously in the direction of the respective radiallines of symmetry 12 of the cavities 1I when detonated centrally at 13.Each cavity 'Il is provided with a complemental liner 14 of suitablemetallic or non-metallic material.

As will be understood the charges 'lll are arranged in the chambers 36so that the protuberances 4I and cavities will be radially aligned inorder to assure proper space for formation of the jets and it will benoted from Figure 2 that the cavities 1I of one charge 10 may bestaggered with respect to the cavities of the next adjacent charge Iabove or below a given charge '16.

If it is desired to attack the target at an angle above or below normala charge 80 of the form shown in Fig. 7 may be employed by making thesurfaces 3| and 32 of members 30 conform thereto. As will be apparentfrom Fig. 7 charge 86 may be centrally detonated at 8l and be providedwith suitable liners 82 for each of the cavities 83 which may bearranged similarly to cavities ll of charge 16. Charge B6 may beemployed in the position shown in Fig. '7 or inverted.

Charges T0 can be simultaneously detonated by a primacord 66 extendedthrough bores 34 of members 30 and bores 'I3 of charges 10. Theprimacord can be detonated by the initiator 61 energizable through theleads 68 carried by cable 64 and extended through cap element 60 influid tight relation. The primacord may also be utilized to retaincharges 10 properly centered in chambers 36.

Chambers 23 and 63 are in communication with chambers 36 through bores34 and may serve as fluid pressure chambers to equalize pressures withinthe apparatus.

The sealing elements 40 may be replaceable and the elements 30, elements50, 60 and 20 made so as to be interchangeable.

It will be observed that charges 10 and 80 are merely shown as types ofcharges that may be chambered in our apparatus but that we may withequal facility use any other types of circular charges.

We may also use any other system of detonating charges 10 such asindividual detonators for each charge either individually or separatelyenergizable as is well understood in the art. In use of the lattersystem of detonation the control means passing through bores 34, 'I3 tothe individual charge detonators would serve to retain the charges 10 inproper position in chambers 36.

It will be noted that members 36 are shown as being hollow. They may beplaced in communication with chambers 23 and 63 if desired. It iscontemplated that members 30 may be made as solid elements.

We may also, if desired, fabricate elements 40 as distensible elementsand expand them after placement of the apparatus as by Afluid. generatedunder pressure in chambers 23 and/or 63 suitably conducted to thecavities 'Il as by the means shown in our copending application SerialNumber 152,438, led March 28, 1950, now Patent No. 2,667,836, datedFebruary 2, 1954.

The spacing between adjacent charges 10 or 86 may be varied byfabricating some or all of the members 30 in two parts symmetrical abouta medium plane through flange 33 thereof and placing an insert betweenthe two parts of each member thus split to vary the thickness of themember 30 from surface 3l to surface 32, where- 4 by the charges will bevertically spaced in the apparatus accordingly.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for chambering shaped charges to be positioned for useagainst a target comprising in combination, a plurality of circularcharge supporting members each provided with intermediate outwardlyextending radial flanges arranged in spaced superposed coaxial relation,said charge supporting members each being provided with an axial bore, acircular sealing element formed with a plurality of circumferentiallyspaced protuberances extending radially outward to substantially theplane containing the outer surfacesV of said flanges encompassing theadjacent edge portions of each adjacent pair of members intermediateeach adjacent pair of flanges in fluid sealed relation, and a circularcage provided with an embrasure receiving each of said protuberancesextending between each adjacent pair of flanges rigidly interconnectingeach adjacent pair of circular members interiorly of the planecontaining the outer surfaces of said anges.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with cap and base elementsrespectively affixed to the uppermost and lowermost circular membersinteriorly of a plane containing the outer surfaces of said flanges andcooperating therewith to dene upper and lower chambers.

3. In an explosive unit built up from a plurality of alternate rst andsecond elements, each of said rst elements comprising a hollow cylinder,each of said second elements comprising a cylindrical band having adiameter substantially equal to said rst elements, there being aplurality of circumferentially-spaced generally rectangularprotuberances struck out- 'wardly in the wall of said band, acylindrical cage element having openings in its wall into each of whicha respective protuberance extends and fits, said band and cage havingsubstantially the same axial dimension, and means securing the end edgesof each band and its cage in overlapping relation with the surfaces ofcontiguous ones of said first elements, said rst elements havingintegral equatorial projections filling the space between contiguouscages, to form a fair cylindrical outer surface.

4. An explosive unit as recited in claim 3, each said band forming withcontiguous rst elements a sealed cylindrical chamber, a star shapedexplosive charge lling said chamber and having arms corresponding innumber with said protuberances, the cavity defined by each contiguouspair of arms being radially aligned with a respective protuberance.

5. An explosive unit as recited in claim 4, said unit comprising atleast three of said rst elements and at least two of said secondelements, the protuberances of one of said second elements beingcircumferentially oiset from those of the other of said second elements.

6. An explosive unit as recited in claim 4, there being a central axialpassage extending through all said elements, and a single length ofexplosive cord extending through said passage.

7. An explosive unit as recited in claim 4, first and second hollowhemispherical end caps, means securing one said cap to the lowermost oneof said first elements and means securing the other said cap to theuppermost one of said first elements to form an exteriorly smoothcylinder with hemispherical ends.

8. In a shaped charge unit built up from a plurality of alternate rlrstand second elements, said rst elements each comprising a hollow disc,said second elements each comprising a cylindrical band havingequiangularly spaced hollow, generally rectangular protuberances, agenerally star-shaped solid explosive charge having arms correspondingin number and angular spacing with said protuberances and positionedwithin said band with the space between contiguous arms radially alignedwith a respective protuberance, means securing all said layers togetherto form a cylindrical unit, said means comprising cylindrical open-endedcage means having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outerdiameter of said hollow discs, there being a plurality of openings inthe peripheral wall of said cage means into each of which a respectiveprotuberance extends and ts, the upper and lower edges of said cagemeans receiving and being secured to respective contiguous ones 0I saidhollow discs `to secure the same together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,169,559 Halliburton Aug. 15, 1939 2,169,671 Walker Aug. l5,1939 2,494,256 Muskat Jan. 10, 1950 2,587,244 Sweetman Feb. 26, 19522,590,366 Atwood Mar. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date146,615 Austria July 25, 1936

